[Ads-l] Scam etymology

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Interesting question, Zeke. Excellent citation, Ben.

Here is another piece of evidence. The 1955 citation below uses the
phrase "scam tricks" in the domain of automobile sales. The
Lincoln-Mercury auto seller is in Encino, California. The article
refers to different types of scams using short phrases. The phrase "
T.O. men" probably refers to "turn-over men". See the 1965 citation
given further below.

Date: June 16, 1955
Newspaper: The Van Nuys News
Newspaper Location: Van Nuys, California
Article: Integrity (Advertisement for an automobile seller: Reg. Fudge
Co., Lincoln-Mercury, Encino, California)
Quote Page 22D, Column 1
Database: Newspapers.com

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-van-nuys-news-and-valley-green-sheet/199336807/

[Begin excerpt]
If you are the type of person that wants a fair and honest deal, no
T.O. men, no "high balls," ups, downs and other scam tricks. If you
wish to be treated courteously and like a sane intelligent person,
visit our showrooms. Our salesmen specialize in low pressure.
[End excerpt]

The 1965 citation below describes a "T. O. Man" (or "turn-over man")
as a high-pressure salesman who closes a deal. This citation does not
contain the word "scam". It is simply intended to help explicate "T.O.
men".

Date: October 31, 1965
Newspaper: Southern Illinoisan
Newspaper Location: Carbondale, Illinois
Article: He Turned the Depression Into Opportunity
Author: Erik Stottrup (The Southern Illinoisan)
Quote Page 18, Column 1
Database: Newspapers.com

https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-toman/199337485/

[Begin excerpt]
"In those days if a salesman couldn't make a sale with a guy he would
turn him over to another man,' Goldstein said. The T. O. Man, or
turn-over man," Goldstein said, then twisted the customer's arm a
little harder in an effort to make the sale.
[End excerpt]

Garson O'Toole
QuoteInvestigator.com

On Wed, Jun 10, 2026 at 10:36 AM Ben Zimmer
<00001aae0710f4b7-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> Another data point, from 1950:
>
> ---
> https://www.newspapers.com/article/los-angeles-evening-citizen-news-carnie/199299574/
> Citizen-News (Hollywood, Cal.), Dec. 26, 1950, p. 2, col. 1
> "Odd Lingo Explained: Carnie Heeds Law, But Con Man Doesn't"
> Research begun recently at the University of California at Los Angeles by
> Dr. Edwin M. Lemert, assistant professor of sociology, indicates a striking
> similarity between the language of the carnie, person working with a
> carnival, and of the con man, one who swindles by gaining the confidence of
> a "mark" (victim) and taking money from him under false pretenses. [...]
> "Certain words, such as 'strom,' 'gischray,' and 'skam,' have many meanings
> and yet have no meaning at all," explains Dr. Lemert. "You have to take
> part in the conversation to understand what is meant by such words."
> ---
>
> (I've seen "strom" in lists of carny lingo defined as "the handle or pedal
> that controls a rigged game." No idea about "gischray.")
>
> Jonathon Green's suggestion that the word comes from "scheme" seems
> plausible.
>
> --bgz
>
> On Wed, Jun 10, 2026 at 9:42 AM Zeke Faux <zeke at zekefaux.com> wrote:
>
> > Hi everybody – I’m a writer and investigative reporter (author of a book on
> > crypto and fraud called Number Go Up) and I am looking into the etymology
> > of the word “scam” for a new book.
> >
> > Some sources (OED) cite a 1963 interview with Steve McQueen in Time
> > Magazine as the first usage. He’s talking about when he was a carny, and he
> > says, “It was a full scam. My boss was scammin’ from the public and I was
> > scammin’ from him.” A few years later, the word appeared in the Wall Street
> > Journal, and at that time, the writer explained that it was originally
> > carny slang, but was now being applied to bankruptcy fraud.
> >
> > But Green’s has an entry from 1958, a use in a novel called Vice Trap
> > that’s not in a carnival context. “He scammed me the stuff was yours.”
> >
> > There are also two early entries in Green’s for similar words. Neither
> > comes from carnies:
> > D. Runyon Runyon à la Carte 201: By this time I figure out what the scamus
> > is. (1944)
> > C. Stoker Thicker ’n Thieves 406: This obviously was newspaper ‘skam’
> > designed to buttress the political fortunes of Mayor Bowron. (1951)
> >
> > I couldn’t find any references to “scam” in David Maurer’s books (my
> > favorite con man reference), and my attempts to verify the carny origins in
> > articles about carny slang have failed.
> >
> > Does anyone know where this word comes from, and if the carny story is
> > true? Thank you, Zeke
> >
> >
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org